


Not Your Typical Love Story

by Jelaine_The_First



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: And I need my sleep, Angst, Don't have enough space for all the generals, Except this is Sinbad and Judal, Fluff, Fluffy moments stereotype, Judal is my adorkable son, M/M, Romantic Comedy, So of course they find a new way to ruin it, This took me 2 days, squids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-19
Updated: 2017-06-19
Packaged: 2018-11-16 04:22:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11246223
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jelaine_The_First/pseuds/Jelaine_The_First
Summary: "I am not good with words. That's Hakuryuu's job. All I can say is…" He paused and pulled out his own bundle of raging squid. "This."Puzzled looks rested upon their faces. "Our souvenir?""No. This was never yours to begin with," said Judal with disgust. "This is my own raging squid I wrapped myself, with my hair! 'Cuz I can't find a string." He motioned the bundle backwards and threw it at the three,And it landed on Sinbad's face with asplat.





	Not Your Typical Love Story

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at fluff. I'm only good at creating death scenes. 
> 
> Shoutout to iruusu too for being a beautiful SinJu goddess <3

It was one of his many visits to Sindria; Both known and secret. He observed the bustling marker, crowded with people who were eager to trade goods from Far East to West. Currency exchange shop littered every corner of the street, making the trade in Sindria an easy feat. Judal didn’t stay afloat too long. His presence in the air will be detected sooner or later, given that not many people can manipulate gravity unless they have magic.  


In Judal's hand laid a parcel wrapped in banana leaves, tied up by a string. His frustration, dream and possibly a pinch of grudge stored in that tiny piece of souvenir, seasoning the raw squid inside.  


All he ever wanted was to get in and look around but NOOO the barrier have been erected -- coated with electricity, if he may add -- especially for Judal from Kou Empire. He poked the barrier again, only for it to reply with tiny sparks of electric current, as if mocking the Magi.  


"Fine," said Judal. "I'll find a way in, even if I have to dig underground to get through."  


Fortunately, one of the trading ships was on its way to Sindria's only tunnel, and it hadn't reached the barrier yet. He alternated some water magic, silently sneaked onboard and changed his appearance to more of an average person.  


Because his pretty face had intimidated the king well beyond his imagination.  


Judal smirked inside. The barrier might be dangerous, but it won't go full 180 degree above Earth. If it's hazardous to Judal, it will have the same effect on other people too. For this genius theory, he gave himself an invisible pat at the back.  


From the moment his figure passed through the dock, Judal counted the time for the generals to block his way. He waltzed through the crowd towards the market.  


_Whatever I do, peach comes first._  


With movement as graceful yet silent as a cat, Judal obtained himself two peaches not a moment later. He canceled his disguise, raising a hood over his head. His usual flowy braid was pulled up into a bun. As he browsed through the market, he can't help but think…  


_… Where the fuck are the generals?! How long does it take to run from the palace to this market? If a crime happened here, the culprit would be long gone! The king and I need to have a serious talk about th--_  


"You are not welcomed here."  


A familiar gruff voice met his eardrums. He looked forward. Ah, there he is.  


"Is that really a way to greet someone, Lord Indignancy?" Judal pulled a smug grin. Sinbad, while standing strong in the middle of the street, was accompanied by Yamraiha and Ja'far, both looking more than ready to spring at him.  


"'Cuz I know your business here is of no trading goods." Sinbad folded his arms across his chest, eyes never leaving Judal. He was also frantically searching for any traces of other Al-Tharmen members.  


"Well, for once, you are wrong." It's time for Judal to be mad, to the surprise of the three. "I swear I have some Huangs in my pocket. You wanna see?" Judal shoved his hand into his right pocket and pulled out a couple bills. Legit bills.  


"Look, real money. All I want was to get some raging spear squids but **nope** , I am not allowed to be near Sindria!" _Or to see you, for that matter_. "You guys need to stop expecting the worst from me, okay? Am I not allowed to eat as a human?"  


Sinbad's face began to soften. _Good._  


Judal's crimson eyes moved to Ja'far next. _Nope, not a chance. He is not wavered at the least. How about that genius Yamraiha? She looked cautious, probably didn’t know if I'm lying or not._  


_Geez, I wish I was lying. I'm fucking hungry._  


"How do we know you're not bluffing? You could've easily killed one of our citizen without our knowledge." Ja'far's threatening look didn’t fall. His eyes glaring daggers at Judal, unrelenting, unforgiving.  


_Man, what a pain_. In his mind, Judal was trying to put up a sarcastic reply, but he can't. Because he really should've planned to kill someone before he leaves. _Thank you, Ja'far?!_  


While he realized that he appeared to have no retort to Ja'far's accusation, he saw Sinbad beginning to be convinced by his assistant. Was he this easily persuaded? Where was this face when he talked with that stupid king?  


"I am not good with words. That's Hakuryuu's job. All I can say is…" He paused and pulled out his own bundle of raging squid. "This."  


Puzzled looks rested upon their faces. "Our souvenir?"  


"No. This was never yours to begin with," said Judal with disgust. "This is my own raging squid I wrapped myself, with my hair! 'Cuz I can't find a string." He motioned the bundle backwards and threw it at the three,  


And it landed on Sinbad's face with a _splat_.  


Judal would love to laugh at the stupid king's face, because he totally did not see that coming, but his time was up. He did, however, let a small snort escaped through his nose.  


"Bye, you peasants. Have fun kissing that idiot lord's ass." With a whirl of magoi, Judal lifted himself off the ground, startling the passerby near him. Ja'far and Yamraiha decided to do nothing but observed as Judal flew away. He has done no destructions on his wake, and if that was not something to be grateful for, nothing else is.  


Meanwhile, Sinbad stared at Judal's retreating back as he disappeared into the sky. He probably will force his way through the barrier; Death by electrocution the last thing in his mind.  


"Did he came all the way to Sindria… Just to throw this squid at me?"

  


"Stupid king with stupid kingdom and stupid generals," mumbled Judal. His legs busy walking towards his room at the palace grounds. "Stupid squid costs thirty stupid Huangs." He slammed the door close and landed roughly on his bed, face-first. While he frequented Sindria like it's his neighboring country, the fatigue from long distance travel still hit him hard. It only occurred to him that his body was sticky and he needs to take a bath, and that included unbraiding his long-ass hair. A small groan escaped his lips.  


(On a side note, he didn’t get the squid because he didn’t bring enough money.)  


It was already dusk outside. A bit sultry; The rain will probably greet them sometime soon. Suddenly, a knock was heard from his door. Judal glanced from his pillow.  


"What is it?"  


Kougyoku stepped into the room, smiling brightly while closing the door behind her.  


"I didn’t say come in!"  


Needless to say, she ignored him entirely and went straight to his bed, where Judal was lying down. "Where did you go? I haven’t seen you for the whole day."  


The Magi growled. He's too tired for gossiping tonight. He sat up and looked straight at Kougyoku. "Sindria," replied him short.  


Kougyoku's face fell almost immediately. "For what? Sinbad? You really should stop provoking him, Judal-chan," advised her, although thoroughly convinced at how this was gonna fall on deaf ears.  


"I did not." He shifted to an Indian sitting position. "I just… Want to try that squid."  


_Your power of convincing is the size of an ant. Come on, dude, you could do better._  


He looked at Kougyoku, who's totally not falling for that. "Uh huh," she said simply. Judal pouted.  


"Alright, fine. I want to see that stupid king. Now will you stop glaring at me?" One thing he would admit, Kougyoku's stare will bite you deeper than a Fanalist's teeth. She aimed at your soul and torment you with that look etched in your mind.  


Kougyoku laughed. "Judal-chan…" said her. "You can't be more obvious."  


"What?"  


"You like him, don't you?"  


That left Judal dumbfounded. "Excuse me???"  


A barrage of small chuckles kept coming from Kougyoku, and Judal didn’t catch anything funny from what he said.  


"It's natural for someone to want to see the person they like often. Your case included," said her as if it's common sense. "Tell me, Judal-chan, how does it feel to see Sinbad today?"  


His puzzled face was still stuck but he tried his best to answer. "Uh… Normal?"  


"Come on. Keep thinking."  


Judal reluctantly recalled his time in Sindria today. At first it was anger, then adrenaline rush, then bored, and it turned to excitement the moment he saw Sinbad…  


Wait, what.  


He was _excited_ to see stupid king? There must be another adjective he can use…  


"Ex…cited?" said him, unsure.  


Kougyoku's squeal was the last thing he thought would come out of that princess' mouth. She looked more than happy to hear that answer.  


"Care to explain to me, old hag?" Judal has grown tired waiting. Instead of explaining, Kougyoku only covered her giggling mouth. Her mind came to a conclusion.  


"Alright, Judal-chan. Next time you head to Sindria, say out loud your feelings, or if not, jot it down." With that, she exited the room, leaving Judal full of questions.  


"What do you mean by that?!"

  


Even before he was close with Kougyoku, he had always thought her voice was annoying. For example, right now her voice kept replaying at the back of his mind.  


_"Next time you head to Sindria, say out loud your feelings, or if not, jot it down."_  


Because of her, he was now once again on his way to Sindria. A small paper nestled in his palm, together with a pen. While his carpet moved closer to Sindria by the minute, he can't help but grow bored. He glanced at the scribbles on the paper.  


_Sleepy. Bored. Sleepy. Bored. Bored. I'm gonna kill myself if I have to write bored again._  


He groaned. In what way, pray tell, does this help in his situation? All he can see was a waste of paper and ink. It was only when he caught a glimpse of Sindria that his mood picked up. With haste, he scribbled down _happy_. After placing the paper and pen in his chunnari, he picked up his pace.  


_Woops, barrier_. His carpet stopped right before he electrocuted himself like before. _Now how do I make one hell of an entrance?_ He smirked. Sinbad's lucky that this time he decided not to cause a ruckus. His target today: Sinbad only. He scoffed when he said it out loud. It appeared more needy than he thought.  


Well, a Sinbad a day keeps Al-Tharmen at bay.  


He scribbled down _cautious_ and prepared himself as he lowered down, glided along the tunnel and towards the docks. Judal concealed his black rukh and thought of putting on a full-body disguise, but on such good day as today, he didn’t feel like it. He looked around the market for some change of wardrobe.  


Three steals and a peach later, Judal was fully dressed in a red silk choli and Indian pants, with a translucent veil on his face. On his wrists rested a plentiful of gold bangles, and his neck adorned a necklace with gem as red as his eyes. These were not of his doing, however. It was from a jeweller who can't take his eyes off of Judal and insisted that he perfected the look; Without any charges. Judal was more than happy to oblige.  


As he strolled across the market, he sensed a new kind of feeling, and without wasting any time he wrote it down on the paper. After he put away his writing utensils, he felt a pair of eyes watching his every move. Judal raised his head, searching around the market for the culprit, and his search ended upon finding an enchanting pair of golden eyes.  


Ruby meets topaz. Judal forgot to breath as the man's eyes stared deep into his soul, baring his very being into a writhing mess of black rukh. It took him almost a full minute before someone bumped onto him, and he realized that he was standing in the middle of the street like a fool. He moved to the side and let his mind turned its gears. Indeed, he has seen those eyes before.  


Judal didn’t have time to reach for an answer as a strong arm grabbed his hand and gently dragged him away from the crowd. _I should protest?? Why am I not protesting?_ he thought out loud as Judal was thrown into a state of perpetual confusion. They stopped at an alcove near the docks and beside a wet market. Now Judal had time to scrutinize the stranger. He was wearing a thin robe over his navy blue tunic, with a cloth blanketing his head, only revealing his eyes from a thin slit.  


Speaking about eyes…  


"Leave."  


_I KNEW IT_. The Magi quickly retreated his arm away from the man's grasp. "Don't tell me what to do," barked him under his tone.  


"Then state your purpose here," demanded the voice, who turned out to be none other than the king.  


_To see you_. "To sightsee."  


Sinbad stared down at the shorter man. "You're not fooling anyone, Judal." His voice grew increasingly alarmed, almost to the point of warning him. "This outfit, those bangles. If I didn’t know any better, I would've thought you're one of the dancers for tonight."  


That managed to pick up Judal's interest. "Dancers? Is there any festivals I don't know about?" _Oh boy, festival time~_  


"Yes, and you are not invited."  


_Aww._  


Judal let out a scoff. "It's not like your festivals are worth attending," said him, sort of hurt by Sinbad's rejection. "It's always the same old drink-till-you-drop and skimpy-clothed women dancing around like a bunch of baboon--"  


A small packet was shoved into his palm before he could finish assaulting Sinbad with his infamous insult. Judal took a good look at it. Banana leaves, tied with a string…  


"Your souvenir."  


Shocked would be an understatement as to what Judal was feeling right now. Sinbad's random act of kindness can be very perplexing, and he wasn’t able to do anything except stare at the king with an open mouth.  


"Now, will you leave?" Sinbad's voice was on the verge of begging, and Judal kind of want to see him physically do that, with his knees on the ground and saying the magic word 'please'. He clicked his tongue, sighed and looked away, muttering a silent "fine" as if he was a saddened cat. Before Sinbad could give him any sort of reply, Judal had already pushed his way through the market, disappearing almost in a blink.  


Without a sound.  


A kicked puppy was bad, an angered infant was worse, but a disappointed Judal? It's a whole new thing to Sinbad. He scratched his head and stared blankly into the horizon.  


It's not even his fault, then why was he feeling sorry?

  


Everytime he left Sindria, his mood hit rock bottom. It's almost a routine that he wouldn’t want to repeat. With his annoyance still nesting in his mind, Judal unfolded his carpet, ready to take flight to Kou, but it didn’t take a ginormous amount of fresh peaches for Judal to drop whatever he's doing. Carpet and baggage forgotten, he went after the store standing in front of him, emanating a scent of peaches straight from the farm.  


"Do you like fruits, beautiful?"  


The fruit seller stepped forward after seeing Judal staring lustfully at his peaches. He chuckled. "Here, you can have one."  


Almost like a dog, Judal perked up and received the peach given to him with two hands.  


"Will you be staying for tonight's festival? I'm giving away free fruits to people during magical fireworks display."  


_Free peaches and magic? Sign me the fuck up!_  


"Yes, I will." Judal put on his most charming smile to the fruitmonger, and he almost melted.  


_Screw you, Sinbad. Magic and peaches have called me forth._

  


"So there was a rumor…" said Yamraiha out of the blue to Pisti. They were walking leisurely at the palace's garden. "… If you watch the firework with someone you like, you are destined to be together." Pisti kept her gaze at Yamraiha who was now sparkling with hopes and dreams.  


"Yeah… I started that rumor."  


The magician's face fell. "Why do you have to snatch that away from me?!" she bawled as her hands grabbed Pisti by her tiny shoulders. "My dream is to be with a man!"  


"I just don't want to give you false hopes!" said Pisti, obviously feeling sorry for her fellow general. "But you know what, maybe it will work on you."  


"If it didn’t work on anyone, it won't work on me!"

  


The night seem to fall early. Lanterns and lights illuminated the streets as it grew more and more lively with people. Decorations, street hawkers and dancers flooded the area and people prowled around to find a good spot for firework viewing.  


"This spot won't take Hinahoho and Drakon kindly."  


"We will have to squeeze."  


"No, no. I ain't squeezing with nobody."  


"I told you to stop with that double negatives, it's confusing!"  


"This place won't do! No place for my date."  


"You have a date?!"  


"Shush!"  


They walked together in a loose group, passing spot by spot in the palace garden as all the good spots were taken. As Sinbad insisted that they sit together, they have no other choice but to keep searching.  


As the night grew late, people started to settle down and getting ready for the fireworks, foods and booze in their hands.  


"Ah, crap! I forgot my wine," exclaimed Sinbad, smacking his forehead.  


"Just get one from the shops," urged Ja'far. "Hurry! The fireworks will start soon!"  


"Nah, it's a special one. Don't worry, I'll be right back!" He jumped from his seat and sprinted full force towards his office; The wine filling his mind.  


On the hallway however…  


"Judal?"  


A lithe figure clad in crimson dancer's outfit stood beside the window, and it slowly turned to Sinbad as he heard his name. "What are you doing here?" asked Judal in a state of shock.  


"No, that's _my_ line." Sinbad began to worry about Judal's presence in the festival. "I thought I told you to go away!"  


"Oh, **wow**. Such rudeness." The Magi folded his arms across his chest, seething frustration. "You're not supposed to be in your office out of working hours."  


"And you're not supposed to be here when I told you you're not invited."  


"Will you stop that? 'Cuz I'm trying really hard not to hurt anybody today."  


The king closed his eyes, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just… Don't ruin this."  


"Hey, I want to enjoy the fireworks as much as you." Judal turned back to facing the window. "Although it seems like you are eager to go back to your work on a day you're allowed to drink yourself to oblivion."  


Silence filled the air as the both of them let the heated conversation die. Judal focused on the sky outside, his mouth shut and his body ready for any attacks Sinbad wanted to give to him.  


Sinbad, however, realized that he never greeted Judal for the past two days. The inevitable "hi" from his mouth afterwards was from pure politeness he was grown into.  


"What?" was the only thing Judal can utter from this plain weird greeting.  


"I never, you know, greeted you properly since the day you throw that squid at me."  


Judal can't bear to look at his face. Apologetic for no reason. "Because you don't have to greet a criminal like me."  


"'Cuz it felt like you never left Sindria."  


A level stare settled on Sinbad once again. _What?_ was Judal's expression screamed.  


"… Alone! You never left Sindria alone!" Sinbad's face was awashed with pink hue, his mouth stuttering on every sentence he formed. That was if he had the strength to form a perfect sentence at all.  


As if it was on cue, the fireworks started exploding in the sky, and their (weird) conversation was brought to a halt. They looked out of the window, both were captivated by the sheer impressiveness of the fireworks show. Unbeknownst to him, Sinbad's legs had already brought him near Judal.  


For fifteen minutes, their eyes were plastered at the sky painted with fireworks, appreciating their ephemeral beauty.  


"Judal/Sinbad."  


They looked at each other, both being equally astonished by the sudden call; Hearts thumping as loud as the fireworks themselves. There was something else in that name call just now… Something…  


"Don't you go kissing me now," stated Judal with a blank face.  


"Wha--"  


"I know those eyes! They say _"I'm going to lean real close to you and smooch you with my lips"_!"  


"I did not!"  


"Yes, you did!"  


"Well, you're not better off than me."  


"How so?"  


"Your eyes say _"Kiss me, idiot"_!"  


"… That actually sound like me."  


"See? I'm just following the groove!"  


"Why do you even want to follow my groove? You don't even like me! In fact, you hated me!"  


"No, I don't!"  


Judal was silenced by that retort.  


"I don’t hate you. I never hated you," pushed Sinbad. As Judal opened his mouth to say something in return, the last firework exploded and its booming noise echoed through the whole Sindria kingdom, scaring Judal and Sinbad.  


"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!" They both shrieked as they hugged each other. As the noise died down, they laid in each other's arms for about a minute before Judal looked up and shouted, "Why did you scream?!"  


"'Cuz **you** screamed!"  


"I screamed because of the firework!"  


"Well, me too!"  


Judal sighed and rested his head on Sinbad's shoulder, his heart was surprisingly relaxed. He closed his eyes. The fireworks display has ended, but his moment with Sinbad was still ongoing. Judal's ears caught a rhythm; Sinbad's rapid heartbeat. It almost drove him crazy.  


Gently, he pushed away from the embrace. His heart felt as if a dead weight sank in it. "I should go."  


The king didn’t believe his ears when he heard his own voice asking Judal, "This late in the night?"  


"You are acting very strange tonight," addressed Judal. "Why do you even care?"  


"Won't you be tired halfway though?"  


"What’s the worst that could happen?" Judal shrugged.  


"I don't know, plunging into the depths of the sea?"  


Judal gave it a quick thought. "That doesn’t seem like a bad way to go."  


"Judal… " The way his name was woven with worry chained Judal at his place.  


" **Don't make this difficult, Sinbad** ," warned Judal. His eyes turned stone cold. Unable to prolong it anymore, Sinbad gave up. He retreated his arms and stepped back, giving room for Judal to fly away.  


"You're an idiot," whispered Judal before he disappeared into the night. Slowly, Sinbad formed a sad smile.  


"Yeah, I am…"

  


"Here." Judal pushed the list on Kougyoku's face. "I did as you told."  


"Judal-chan, I am not your teacher. You don't have to submit anything to me," said Kougyoku, but her hands betrayed her as it reached for the paper. The Magi didn’t stick long after handing it in. He simply walked away.  


_I guess he's embarassed about it_ , she thought. Her hands unfolded the paper and started reading it.  


_**Sleepy. Bored. Sleepy. Bored. Bored. I'm gonna kill myself if I have to write bored again.  
**_

_**Happy. Cautious. Content**_ (It's probably peaches) _**Rapid heartbeat? Disappointed. Bored again.  
**_

_**Satisfied. Rebellious. Playful. LE SHOCKED**_ (who taught him this?)  


_**Appalled by the lack of trust**_ (Now this is oddly specific…) _**Annoyed. Weirded out. Peaceful.  
**_

_**Very loud heartbeat. Like extremely loud!**_ (… Are you okay?) __**Warm. Warmer.  
**

**Warm & Peaceful. Safe. Resentment towards fate.  
**

**Normal.**  


_Conclusion: Sinbad is still an insufferable idiot._  


Kougyoku closed the paper with a giggle. It didn’t take the smartest man in the world to know that that's Judal's way of saying 'I still love him'.


End file.
